3rd Annual Awesome 3-on-3 Jam: Recap & Photos

NOVEMBER 11, 2017 | Our Awesome 3-on-3 Jam was conceived three years ago as a celebration of girls’ and women’s basketball in our community before the ultra-competition for the best in the state begins for our players and coaches!

“The Awesome 3-on-3 Jam was truly AWESOME!!! I had a lot of fun playing against new opponents and competing in the shooting contests. It was also cool to watch the Women’s Division because it’s super intense. One of my favorite parts of the tournament was coming up with team cheers and code words such as “pineapple” (alley-oop) and “grape” (behind-the-back pass). I would definitely recommend this tourney to anybody who loves basketball and a good time.” – Andrea Dang

This year, with six teams in the high school division and five squads in the women’s division, both groups competed in a round-robin. Our women’s division once again featured Alex Montgomery of WNBA’s San Antonio Stars, Seattle Storm’s practice player/intern Ashley Graham, and Purdue University’s Track & Field National Champion Lindsey Blaine. We also welcomed overseas player Yuuki Terada and Japanese national team member Hiromi Suwa – among so many other women who have played at the highest level!

A.C.G.S. from Tacoma/ Olympia taking a break between games

In the women’s division, A.C.G.S. took a defining championship back to the Tacoma/Olympia area, winning swag–colorful tights and long-sleeves for the winter–donated by Oiselle totaling over $100 in retail value! Championship players: Alex Montgomery, Gabby Wade, Chene Cooper, and Sarah Quantz.

The high school division ended in a three-way tie between NBA-Bound, Chicken Noodle Hoop, and Flaming Gummy Bears. Although the Roosevelt-laden team, captained by Karmelah Dean, came out in the final game with an overtime win against the eventual champions, the Flaming Gummy Bears brought home their own swag with a +9 advantage in point differentials. Championship players: Andrea Dang, Mackenzie Ault, Britton Steckler, and Sami Castanos – all from Redmond High School!

Redmond’s Flaming Gummy Bears posing with their championship swag.

Our contests were dominated by Redmond players and coaches – must be that home court advantage. In our free-throw shooting contest, Redmond’s senior point guard Andrea Dang faced off her varsity assistant coach Jen Bresler in a shoot-off – and Jen prevailed! And in our three-point contest, Redmond’s Britton Steckler knocked down 17 shots in a minute (is this an Awesome 3-on-3 Jam record?) to beat out her own coach, Ashley Graham, in the second round, before losing to Redmond’s former JV coach, Bea Chang, who can’t seem to make a shot in games but somehow ended up taking home her own swag.

We would like to thank our sponsors for making this event possible once again. Our Awesome 3-on-3 Jam believes in empowering the girls’ and women’s basketball community, and this year, we raised scholarship funds for need-based girls to the Team Awesome Basketball Leadership Community.

Thank you to all those who planned, participated, and attended. We hope you all had a good time. Best of luck in the season ahead! Enjoy these photos!